BOX TOP

TOP BOXWOOD / WITCH'S BLAZER

LATIN NAME: BUXUS SEMPERVIRENS ROTUNDIFOLIA

NATIONALITY: MEDITERRANEAN

Boxwood, which can grow up to 7 meters tall, requires little maintenance and adapts to a wide variety of light and soil conditions. It grows naturally in the Mediterranean regions of Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia.

Boxwood first appears in written records as the plant that gives Corsican Honey its bitter flavor in Naturalis Historia, the first encyclopedia of nature and botany compiled in 77 AD by the philosopher, naturalist, and naval commander Gaius Plinius Secundus, also known as a close friend of Roman Emperor Vespasian.

If you've ever wandered through the parks of England or New York, you've probably noticed beautifully pruned hedges and shrubs. You've seen boxwood, a popular ornamental plant in the Roman and British Empires.

Due to its pleasant fragrance and its ability to be easily shaped through pruning, it was a popular hedge and ornamental plant in the royal gardens of Ancient Rome and Britain.

Perhaps due to its constant popularity in gardens, it has been one of the most frequently mentioned plants in European literature, including novels, poetry, and philosophy, from Roman to modern times, from Ovid's Metamorphoses to John Dryden's dramatic poems.

Throughout history, boxwood has been used medicinally in various ways to treat a variety of ailments.

Boxwood leaves and bark have been used to treat gout, urinary tract infections, intestinal worms, chronic skin problems, syphilis, hemorrhoids, epilepsy, headaches, leprosy, malaria, and rheumatism.

In Anatolia, a tea traditionally made from boxwood leaves is still consumed today as a diuretic against malaria and intestinal worms.

In medieval superstitions, it was believed to have protective properties against witches. Witches, who could see everything down to its number at a glance, could only see the number of the plant's small, dense leaves. If there was a boxwood hedge around the house, the witch would forget why she had come there and become bored while trying to count its leaves.